University administrators discuss return to campus and COVID-19 protocols during Town Hall

Dean of the College Jill Dolan speaks at USG Town Hall on Jan. 5.

Lia Opperman / The Daily Princetonian

Today’s Briefing:

During the week of December 25 to December 31, there were 170 positive COVID-19 cases, 131 of which were from faculty members and staff, according to Princeton’s COVID-19 Dashboard. This places the overall campus positivity rate at just over 5% for that week. As a result of increasing COVID-19 cases among faculty and staff just weeks before the spring semester, the University has requested that staff who can work remotely do so between January 4 and January 31.

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During yesterday’s virtual Town Hall meeting hosted by the Undergraduate Student Government, campus administrators answered questions about arriving to campus for the Spring semester, student groups and student life, housing and dining, academics, and more broadly the University’s COVID-19 policy. "We know that your mental health has suffered," Dean of the College Jill Dolan said. "We are really working hard to make it safe enough to lift these restrictions."

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A COVID-19 testing site during the University’s first week of asymptomatic testing in August 2020.
Courtesy of Denise Applewhite / Princeton University Office of Communications

We're triple-vaxxed and masked. It's time to stop asymptomatic testing.

Guest contributor Tom Salotti argues that some of the University’s added restrictions are unnecessary and unfairly applied given that most University community members will be vaccinated and boosted by the end of January. Salotti proposes that the University should follow Brown University in ending asymptomatic testing, and should “stop treating case numbers as the most important number.” Salotti writes, “This spring could be a unique opportunity for Princeton to lead the charge back towards pre-pandemic life. But I don’t have my hopes up.”

When Princeton imposes a mandate, it should show its work.

Guest contributor Evan Underhill argues that the University’s failure to cite their sources when announcing new restrictions and mandates undermines confidence and represents a failure to promote educated health decisions. In response to the University’s recent mandate for a vaccine booster, Underhill writes, “the burden of proof is particularly heavy on the University to demonstrate that a booster shot will in fact minimize omicron transmission.”

Senior guard Abby Meyers was recently honored as Ivy League Player of the Week.
Courtesy of GoPrincetonTigers.com

Princeton Basketball teams are facing cancelled and postponed games amid COVID-19 concerns. The women’s basketball game scheduled for December 29, 2021 against University of Central Florida was canceled due to current COVID-19 protocols in place while the men’s Ivy League season opener against Harvard was rescheduled for February 27, 2021. Cancellations and postponements will likely continue through the season for many Ivy League institutions.

The writer’s desk.
Gabriel Robare / The Daily Princetonian

Reflecting on the distinction between daily goals and lifelong goals, Senior Writer Gabe Robare describes the different meanings of productivity. While many students might be caught up in chasing larger goals such as “becoming a senator” or “writ[ing] the next great American novel,” Robare encourages others to “pay attention to what you produce each day. How we spend our days is how we spend our lives, so each day choose carefully to produce what you find most valuable.”

Today’s newsletter was copy edited by Nathalie Verlinde. Thank you.